Friday☕️

22 Nov 2024 — 6 min read

Trending:

Cristian Fernando Gutierrez-Ochoa, the son-in-law of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho” and leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was arrested on Tuesday in Riverside, California. Authorities revealed that Gutierrez-Ochoa had faked his death to evade law enforcement and was living under a false identity.
He is accused of organizing the trafficking of nearly 88,000 pounds of methamphetamine and 4,400 pounds of cocaine from Mexico into the United States since 2014. In addition to drug charges, he allegedly orchestrated the 2021 kidnapping of two Mexican Navy members to pressure officials into releasing El Mencho’s wife, who had been arrested by Mexican authorities. Gutierrez-Ochoa now faces serious charges for drug trafficking and money laundering.

Economics & Markets:

Yesterday, SEC Chair Gary Gensler announced he will resign on Jan. 20, clearing the way for President-elect Donald Trump to appoint a successor. Since 2021, Gensler focused on initiatives like climate risk disclosure, cybersecurity, and accelerating stock trade settlement times, while also engaging in high-profile legal battles with the cryptocurrency industry, including a failed effort to block bitcoin ETFs.

Geopolitics & Conflicts:

Yesterday, Russia launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) equipped with Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicles (MIRVs) at critical infrastructure in Dnipro, Ukraine. The missile, carrying conventional warheads, introduces advanced weaponry capable of striking multiple targets in a single launch, marking a significant escalation.
This comes in response to recent Ukrainian strikes using U.S.-supplied ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles, which have targeted key Russian positions. The deployment of MIRV-equipped missiles has raised international concerns over increased destruction and the risk of broader regional instability. World leaders have condemned the escalation and are urging restraint to prevent the conflict from intensifying further.

Politics:

Matt Gaetz announced Thursday he is withdrawing from consideration as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for U.S. attorney general, citing concerns that his confirmation process had become a distraction.
Gaetz thanked supporters and said he would step aside to avoid delaying the Trump/Vance transition. While a DOJ investigation into allegations of sex trafficking ended without charges last year, the House Ethics Committee later reopened its probe into claims of sexual misconduct, drug use, and improper actions during his time in Congress.

Environment & Weather:

On Wednesday, November 20, 2024, a volcanic eruption started near the Sundhnúksgígaröð crater on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula and is still ongoing. The eruption created a 3-kilometer-long crack in the ground, sending lava toward the Blue Lagoon spa. Authorities evacuated around 50 homes, spa visitors, and nearby areas due to dangerous gas and flowing lava.

While the eruption has caused some local disruptions, it is not affecting air travel. Officials are keeping roads closed and closely monitoring the situation.

From November 29 to December 5, 2024, much of the northern and central United States is expected to experience below-normal temperatures, according to the 8-14 day temperature outlook from NOAA. The coldest conditions are forecast for the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest, where temperatures could dip significantly below seasonal averages. This pattern reflects a strong cold front spreading across the central and eastern parts of the country. Residents in the affected northern regions should prepare for a colder-than-usual start to December.

Security:

Yesterday, financial technology firm Finastra disclosed a data breach involving the theft of sensitive information from one of its secure file-transfer platforms. Attackers, identified as part of a group operating under the alias “abyss0,” used compromised credentials obtained through malware to access data from several major financial institutions. The hacker reportedly stole 400 gigabytes of data and is attempting to sell it on the dark web. While Finastra has isolated the affected system and is working with law enforcement in the U.S. and U.K., details about the compromised data and its extent have not yet been released to the public.
On Wednesday, T-Mobile announced it had successfully blocked a cyberattack targeting its customer data. The company detected unusual activity and stopped the intrusion before hackers could gain deeper access. This attempted breach is believed to be part of a series of attacks linked to Chinese-affiliated groups targeting telecommunications companies. These incidents underscore the ongoing global threats to sensitive information and critical systems.

Education:

Starting next fall, M.I.T. will offer free tuition to families earning less than $200,000 a year, with full coverage for housing, dining, and books for families earning under $100,000. With annual tuition typically costing $62,000, this change is designed to make the university more accessible to students from middle- and lower-income families. M.I.T. has allocated $167.3 million for financial aid this year, raising the income limit from $140,000 to $200,000, and setting a new standard for affordable education.

Space:

Speedcast, a partner of SpaceX, has sold over 10,000 Starlink satellite internet kits as part of its role as an authorized integrator. SpaceX has relied on companies like Speedcast to expand Starlink’s reach by integrating its terminals into specialized markets, such as maritime, energy, and remote areas.
In addition to its sales success, Speedcast announced that Starlink plans to introduce service level agreements (SLAs) in 2025, offering 99.9% uptime. These agreements are expected to improve Starlink’s reliability, attract more customers, and open new growth opportunities for Speedcast in critical infrastructure and other sectors.

Yesterday, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 24 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, marking the 82nd orbital launch from Florida’s Space Coast this year. The mission expands SpaceX’s satellite internet constellation, which now exceeds 7,000 satellites. The addition of these satellites enhances Starlink’s network capacity and coverage, reinforcing SpaceX’s goal of delivering global high-speed internet and maintaining its leadership in Space based infrastructure.
Click to view live Starlink satellites:

Science & Technology:

A study in The New England Journal of Medicine compared ChatGPT-4’s diagnostic accuracy to that of human physicians using real clinical cases published between 2017 and 2023. ChatGPT-4 analyzed patient histories and diagnostic options, achieving a 90% accuracy rate, significantly higher than the 74% accuracy of the doctors. This shows the potential of AI to outperform traditional diagnostic methods in identifying medical conditions.
The findings highlight the need to integrate AI tools into healthcare to complement human expertise. Training medical professionals to effectively use AI can create a collaborative approach, combining AI’s precision with doctors’ clinical judgment. This partnership can help reduce diagnostic errors and improve patient outcomes, demonstrating the value of AI in modern medical care.

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